Bioreactor Expansion of Skin-Derived Precursor Schwann Cells.

Abstract

Scaling up the production of cells in a culture process is a critical step when trying to develop cell-based regenerative therapies. Static cultures often cannot be easily scaled up to clinically relevant cell numbers. Alternatively, bioreactors offer a highly valuable means to develop a clinical-ready process. To culture adherent cells in suspension, such as skin-derived precursor Schwann cells (SKP-SCs), microcarriers need to be used. Microcarriers are small spherical beads suspended within the vessel that allow for higher growth surface area to volume ratio. Here we describe the procedure of combining microcarriers with the controllability of bioreactors to generate higher cell densities in smaller reactor volumes leading to a more efficient and cost-effective cell production for applications in regenerative medicine.